What you need to know
Milo Ventimiglia says he had no idea Rory Gilmore’s boyfriends had recently gotten together over hot soup.
In an ad released in September of this year, Jared Padalecki and Matt Cucuri, who played Dean Forrester and Logan Huntzberger on Gilmore Girls, respectively, reunited for Panera’s fall campaign.
When asked why Ventimiglia, 48, wasn’t in the commercial, the actor replied, “There was a Panera commercial?”
“I have a newborn daughter. I live under a rock. I had no idea,” Ventimiglia, who played Jess Mariano on the hit series, tells PEOPLE.
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Despite not being involved, the This Is U actor was thrilled to hear his former co-stars sharing the screen again.
“That’s amazing,” he added.
In the ad campaign, Padalecki and Cucuri hilariously highlighted various attributes of Panera’s new fall soups, which seemed to tie in with the personality traits of Rory’s three love interests.
They noted that Fireside Chili has a “taste of home” and is “believable,” similar to Paderecki’s character Laurie’s high school boyfriend. For a “more sophisticated” option, they turned to Autumn Squash Soup, like Rory’s wealthy college sweetheart, Cheukri’s Logan.
And, of course, the “brooding and mysterious” black bean soup alludes to Ventimiglia’s Jess.
“Oh, that’s funny,” Ventimiglia told PEOPLE when informed that his character was being mentioned in the ad.
“I’ll have to look into it. Both of those guys are very nice, very nice people,” Ventimiglia said. “I miss them. I certainly miss them.”
Gilmore Girls celebrated their 25th anniversary this year. Ventimiglia said she “didn’t think much of it,” but that her goddaughter and her friends were “constantly referencing what Jess was saying, and I couldn’t help but think, ‘What? What is that about?'” ”
“I think it’s pretty special that the series has lasted as long as it has, especially since it has a new audience and is encouraging young girls to go to school, get an education, read books and live lives like Rory,” he reflects. “I think it’s really special. I think it’s amazing.”
“I think both Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino are really great writers and creators. I think it’s really amazing that there are works that have been around for so long and continue to entertain and educate and excite people about their worlds…It’s just incredible.”
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Last month, Choukry also spoke about Gilmore Girls’ long-term influence in an interview with PEOPLE, noting “how much love there was for the show” through fan events and media coverage over the years.
“This show brought people together when it first came out 25 years ago, and new viewers are still appreciating it today, with kids named Logan and tattoos about the Life and Death Brigade,” he said of the Yale secret society depicted in the show.
“It’s pretty amazing considering what Gilmore Girls has been doing,” he added.
Gilmore Girls is available to stream on Netflix. Ventimiglia’s latest project, I Can Only Imagine 2, will be released in theaters on February 20th.
